Automatically loading user profile to show recently watched channels

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the present disclose involve a method, a device, and a system comprising a processor and a machine-readable storage medium storing at a set of instructions for identification and authentication of user profiles associated with a digital television system and displaying information related thereto. In example embodiments, the method includes identifying a user profile registered with a content presentation device based on received identification data that includes biometric data. The method further includes receiving, from a server, identifiers of a set of recently watched channels associated with the user profile and causing presentation of a recent channels interface that includes selectable elements corresponding to the set of recently watched channels.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/279,295, filed on Feb. 19, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/661,555, filed on Jul. 27, 2017, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/841,552, filed onAug. 31, 2015, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,729,925 on Aug. 8, 2017,which applications are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to digitaltelevision systems. In particular, example embodiments relate toidentification and authentication of user profiles associated with adigital television system and display of information related thereto.

BACKGROUND

Digital television systems are available that provide programming,advertisements, or other commercial messages to users. Typically,digital television communication involves the use of a set-top box(STB), which receives broadcast content and connects to a televisionset. Users generally control the selection of programming or othercontent through the STB. The STB runs software referred to asmiddleware, consisting of computer programs which control the flow ofbroadcast programs and internet traffic as well as data from users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate exampleembodiments of the present inventive subject matter and cannot beconsidered as limiting its scope.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating a networked system configuredto provide programming to one or more content viewing devices, accordingto some example embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components ofa content presentation service executable by one or more content viewingdevices to facilitate a content viewing session, according to someexample embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a swim lane flow chart illustrating a method for registering auser profile with a content viewing device, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 4 is a high-level entity-relationship diagram, illustrating variousrecords that may be maintained within a database of the networkedsystem, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a data flow diagram illustrating a flow of data involved indisplaying a recent channel interface associated with a particular userprofile, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a data flow diagram illustrating a flow of data involved indisplaying an updated recent channel interface associated with aparticular user profile, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a method for presenting arecent channel interface, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a method for identifying auser profile, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a method for updating recentservice data, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 10 is an interface diagram illustrating a recent channel interfaceassociated with a first user, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 11 is an interface diagram illustrating a recent channel interfaceassociated with a second user, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exampleform of a computer system within which a set of instructions for causingthe machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussedherein may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to specific example embodiments forcarrying out the inventive subject matter. Examples of these specificembodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specificdetails are set forth in the following description in order to provide athorough understanding of the subject matter. It will be understood thatthese examples are not intended to limit the scope of the claims to theillustrated embodiments. On the contrary, they are intended to coversuch alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be includedwithin the scope of the disclosure.

Aspects of the present disclosure involve identification andauthentication of user profiles associated with a digital televisionsystem and displaying information related thereto. Example embodimentsinvolve identifying and authenticating user profiles usingidentification data obtained by a content viewing device (e.g., a STB, alaptop, a tablet computer, or a smart phone). The identification datamay, for example, include biometric data such as an image of the user(e.g., for purposes of facial or iris recognition) or a fingerprint of auser, or the identification data may include a username and passwordcombination. The identification data obtained by the content viewingdevice is compared to stored authentication data of the same form (e.g.,fingerprint or image) to authenticate the identity of the user beforebeginning a content viewing session using the content viewing device.Based on the comparison, a corresponding user profile is identified andthe content viewing device loads the identified user profile to begin acontent viewing session.

Once the user profile is loaded by the content viewing device, recentservice data is fetched from a server. The recent service data includesa set of identifiers (e.g., channel number, service name, or serviceidentifier) corresponding to recently watched channels associated withthe user profile. For purposes of this disclosure, the term “channel” isintended to include both physical and virtual channels over whichcurated content (e.g., audio, video, or combinations thereof) iscommunicated (e.g., broadcast or streamed) to a content viewing device(e.g., a STB, a laptop, a tablet computer, or a smart phone) via anynetwork and is intended to include communications via the Internet. Therecently watched channels include channels accessed during a previousviewing session of the user profile on the content viewing device or adifferent content viewing device associated with the user profile. Thecontent viewing device displays the recently watched channels in aspecialized interface displayed in conjunction with live or recordedprogramming. By having recent service data associated with user profiles(as opposed to devices) in this manner, multiple users may utilize therecently watched channels interface feature on a single device.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating a network system 100 configuredto provide programming to one or more content viewing devices, accordingto some example embodiments. To avoid obscuring the inventive subjectmatter with unnecessary detail, various functional components that arenot germane to conveying an understanding of the inventive subjectmatter have been omitted from FIG. 1 . However, a skilled artisan willreadily recognize that various additional components may be included inthe network system 100 to facilitate additional functionality that isnot specifically described herein. Furthermore, it shall be appreciatedthat while the components of FIG. 1 are discussed in the singular sense,in other embodiments, multiple instances of one or more of thecomponents may be employed.

As shown, the network system 100 includes a content presentation device102 and companion presentation device 104 in communication with acontent provider system 106 over a network 108. The content providersystem 106 maintains a plurality of accounts for subscribers of theservices provided thereby. The services provided by the content providersystem 106 include providing access to curated, on-demand, and/orrecorded content. Such content may be broadcast, streamed, or otherwiseprovided by one or more content channels (also referred to herein simplyas “channels”). Thus, in some embodiments, the content provider system106 provides registered account holders and associated users with accessto content channels. Multiple devices may be registered to each account,and multiple user profiles may be registered to each registered device.The content presentation device 102 and the companion presentationdevice 104 are examples of devices that may be registered with anaccount maintained by the content provider system 106, and used toaccess content made available or provided by the content provider system106. The content presentation device 102 and the companion presentationdevice 104 may be any one of a variety of devices that include aprocessor and communication capabilities that provide access to thenetwork 108 and that are coupled to or include an embedded display.Accordingly, the content presentation device 102 and the companionpresentation device 104 may, for example, be a STB coupled to atelevision, a desktop computer coupled to a monitor, a laptop, a tabletcomputer, a smart phone or the like.

In some instances, the content presentation device 102 is used asprimary viewing device such as an STB communicatively coupled to atelevision or other display that is used to access content while thecompanion presentation device 104 is a used as a secondary viewingdevice or complementary viewing device such as a tablet computer.However, it shall be appreciated that the content presentation device102 and the companion presentation device 104 are not intended to belimited to such configurations and, in some embodiments, the companionpresentation device 104 may be another instance of the contentpresentation device 102 that is used to view and access content providedor made available by the content provider system 106.

A controller 122 is used to control certain functionality of the contentpresentation device 102. For example, a user may user the controller 122to tune the content presentation device 102 to a particular channel.Accordingly, the controller 122 includes one or more buttons or otherinput mechanisms (e.g., a touch screen, microphone, etc.) to allow usersto input commands to control the content presentation device 102. Insome embodiments, the controller 122 is embedded in the contentpresentation device 102. In some embodiments, the controller 122 isseparate from the content presentation device 102 though still able toremotely transmit commands to the content presentation device 102. Forexample, the controller 122 may be an infrared (IR) remote controllercapable of transmitting command signals to an IR receiver (not shown)embedded in the content presentation device 102.

The content provider system 106 communicates and exchanges data (e.g.,content) with the content presentation device 102 and companionpresentation device 104 that pertains to various functions and aspectsassociated with the network system 100 and its users. Likewise, thecontent presentation device 102 and the companion presentation device104 may be operated by a user (e.g., a person) of the network system 100to exchange data with the content provider system 106 over the network108.

The content presentation device 102 and the companion presentationdevice 104 communicate with the network 108 via a wired or wirelessconnection. For example, one or more portions of the network 108 maycomprise an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual privatenetwork (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a widearea network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network(MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the public switchedtelephone network (PSTN), a cellular telephone network, a wirelessnetwork, a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi®) network, a WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) network, a cable network,a terrestrial network, or any suitable combination thereof

Turning specifically to the content provider system 106, a server 110 iscoupled to the network 108 (e.g., via wired or wireless interfaces) anda database 112. The server 110 hosts a user preference service 114, aclient registration module 116, a content management system 118, and anaccount control and subscription module 120. It shall be appreciatedthat, although the user preference service 114, the client registrationmodule 116, the content management system 118, and the account controland subscription module 120 are all illustrated as being hosted by asingle server, these components may be deployed on various otherhardware configurations and are not intended to be limited to the server110. For example, each of the user preference service 114, the clientregistration module 116, the content management system 118, and theaccount control and subscription module 120 may reside on a singleserver 110 or may be distributed across several sever computers invarious arrangements.

The user preference service 114 is responsible for receiving,processing, and storing user information. For example, the userpreference service 114 receives user information from the contentpresentation device 102, and uses the user information to validate theidentity of the user for use in tracking user activity during a contentviewing session, which the user preference service 114 uses to inferuser preferences. The user preference service 114 stores userpreferences in the database 112. In some instances, the user preferencesare based on services utilized by a user during a content viewingsession, and thus, the stored user preferences may include recentservice data. As an example, the user preference service 114 tracks thechannels watched by a user during a content viewing session, which arelogged as recently watch channels. The user preference service 114 maythen work in conjunction with the content presentation device 102 toprovide the user with an interface to view and select from a list ofrecently watched channels.

The client registration module 116 is configured to register new contentviewing devices with an account, and to register user profiles withregistered content viewing devices. The client registration module 116receiver user profile data from the content presentation device 102 andstores the user profile data in a user profile record in the database112. The user profile record is linked to the content presentationdevice 102, which is linked to the account.

The content management system 118 provides the content presentationdevice 102 and companion presentation device 104 with information (e.g.,metadata) about content. The information can include titles,descriptions, dates, images, or other attribution information related tothe staff involved in production of content, and other such informationabout the content.

The account control and subscription module 120 may be used by users(e.g., through interaction with the content presentation device 102) toconfigure and adjust aspects of their accounts. For example, the accountcontrol module 120 may be used to add or remove program offerings (e.g.,packaged channels) from an account. The account control module 120 mayfurther be used to control content access permissions associated withuser profiles linked to the account.

The database 112 stores data pertaining to various functions and aspectsassociated with the network system 100 and its users. For example, thedatabase 112 stores a plurality of account records corresponding toaccounts maintained by the content provider system 106. Each accountrecord includes information about the account, including an accountidentifier (e.g., account number) and information related to theservices subscribed to by the account. Each account record may be linkedto one or more device records which may in turn be linked to one or moreuser profile records. The database 112 further stores recent servicedata associated with each user profile record. The recent service dataincludes information related to recent services utilized by the userprofile such as a list of recently watched channels for the userprofile.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating various functional components ofa content presentation service 200 executable by one or more contentviewing devices to facilitate a content viewing session, according tosome example embodiments. To avoid obscuring the inventive subjectmatter with unnecessary detail, various functional components (e.g.,modules and engines) that are not germane to conveying an understandingof the inventive subject matter have been omitted from FIG. 2 . However,a skilled artisan will readily recognize that various additionalfunctional components may be supported by the content presentationservice 200 to facilitate additional functionality that is notspecifically described herein.

The various functional components depicted in FIG. 1 may reside on thecontent presentation device 102, the companion presentation device 104,or both. As is understood by skilled artisans in the relevant computerarts, the modules illustrated in FIG. 1 represent a set of executablesoftware instructions and the corresponding hardware (e.g., memory andprocessor) for executing the instructions. Moreover, it shall beappreciated that, while the functional components (e.g., modules) ofFIG. 2 are discussed in the singular sense, in other embodiments,multiple instances of one or more of the modules may be employed.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the content presentation service 200 includesan interface module 202, a communication module 204, an identificationmodule 206, and a detection module 208, all configured to be incommunication with each other (e.g., via a bus, a shared memory, anetwork, or a switch) so as to allow information to be passed betweenthe functional components or so as to allow the functional components toshare and access common data. Additionally, each of the functionalcomponents illustrated in FIG. 1 may access and retrieve data from auser database 210.

As shown, the content presentation service 200 is generally based on athree-layer software architecture, consisting of a front-end layer, anapplication layer, and a data layer, although the inventive subjectmatter is by no means limited to such architecture. The presentationlayer consists of the interface module 202. The interface module 202 isresponsible for presenting information and handling user interactionsrelated to the functions of the content presentation service 200.Accordingly, the interface module 202 may provide a number of interfacesto users (e.g., interfaces that are presented on a television or otherdisplay coupled to or embedded in the content presentation device 102).The interfaces provided by the interface module 202 may include one ormore graphical elements (e.g., buttons, toggles, switches, drop-downmenus, or sliders) that may be manipulated through user input to performvarious operations associated with a content viewing session. Forexample, the interface module 202 provides a recent channels interfacethat allows users to view recently watched channels and tune the contentpresentation device 102 to one of those channels. Further details of therecent channels interface, according to some example embodiments, arediscussed below in reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 .

The application layer of the content presentation service 200 includesthe communication module 204, the identification module 206, and thedetection module 208. The communication module 204 is responsible forhandling communication with the server 110. Accordingly, thecommunication module 204 may exchange (e.g., transmit and receive) datawith the server 110 to facilitate content viewing sessions and otherenhanced services related thereto. For example, the communication module204 transmits log in requests to the server 110 to initiate contentviewing sessions associated with a particular user profile. Thecommunication module 204 also retrieves (e.g., through appropriate APIcalls) recent service data from the server 110 associated withparticular user profiles. In some embodiments, the communication module204 may transmit identification data to the server 110 for processing(e.g., to identify and authenticate a user profile), and in turn,receive user profile information from the server 110.

The identification module 206 is responsible for identifying and loadinguser profiles, which are used to provide personalized contentpresentation services. The identification module 206 identifies userprofiles using received identification data. More specifically, theidentification module 206 identifies user profiles by comparing thereceived identification data to stored authentication data associatedwith user profiles registered with the content presentation device 102.In comparing received identification data to stored authentication datathe identification module 206 attempts to match the receivedidentification data with authentication data associated with aparticular user profile. In response to identifying a matching userprofile, the identification module 206 loads the user profile and causesthe user profile to be logged in to the server 110 to initiate a contentviewing session for the user profile.

The identification module 206 may further work in conjunction with thecommunication module 204 to obtain recent service data associated withthe loaded user profile from the server 110 using an identifier of theuser profile. The recent service data includes identifiers of a set ofchannels accessed during a previous viewing session of the user profile(also referred to herein as “recently watched channels”).

In some embodiments, the identification data may include biometric datasuch as, for example, an image of a user or a fingerprint of the user.Depending on the form of the identification data, the identificationmodule 206 may obtain the identification data from an input device suchas an image capture device (e.g., a camera), microphone, retinalscanner, or fingerprint reader communicatively coupled to or included inthe content presentation device 102 or the companion presentation device104. The stored authentication data, which is obtained from a similarsource as the identification data (e.g., an image capture device or afingerprint reader), is created upon registering the user profile withthe content viewing device.

The detection module 208 is responsible for identifying recently watchedchannels associated with user profiles. To this end, the detectionmodule 208 is configured to identify channels viewed during a contentviewing session. Instead of logging each channel to which the contentpresentation device 102 is tuned during a content viewing session, thedetection module 208 logs channels to which the content presentationdevice 102 is tuned for a predetermined time period (e.g., 5 minutes) toensure that these channels are channels actually watched by the user,and therefore, of possible interested to the user, as opposed tochannels the user briefly tuned into before tuning in to another channel(e.g., by a process known as “channel surfing”). After the detectionmodule 208 determines a channel has been watched (e.g., by virtue of thecontent presentation device 102 being tuned to the channel for apredefined period of time), the detection module 208 works inconjunction with the communication module 204 to transmit an identifierof the channel (e.g., a channel number) to the server 110 for inclusionin the list of most recent channels included in the recent service dataassociated with the user profile.

The data layer of the content presentation service 200 includes the userdatabase 210. The user database 210 is a machine-readable storage unitthat stores a plurality of user profile records corresponding to userprofiles registered with the content presentation device 102. The userprofile records include a user profile identifier and user profile datathat includes user personal data obtained during user profileregistration.

FIG. 3 is a swim lane flow chart illustrating a method 300 forregistering a user profile with the content viewing device, according tosome example embodiments. The method 300 may be embodied inmachine-readable instructions for execution by a hardware component(e.g., a processor) such that the operations of the method 300 may beperformed by the content presentation device 102 and the server 110;accordingly, the method 300 is described below, by way of example withreference thereto. However, it shall be appreciated that the method 300may be deployed on various other hardware configurations and is notintended to be limited to the content presentation device 102 and theserver 110. For example, although FIG. 2 illustrates a number ofoperations being performed by the content presentation device 102, itshall be appreciated that, in other embodiments, these operations may beperformed by the companion presentation device 104.

At operation 305, the content presentation device 102 receives userpersonal data corresponding to an unregistered user. The user personaldata may be received via user input entered, via a controller 122, intoa user interface displayed by the content presentation device 102. Theuser personal data may include a user name, a profile name, an accountidentifier, and demographic information about the user (e.g., gender,birthdate, location, etc.).

At operation 310, the content presentation device 102 obtains userauthentication data for use in authenticating the identity of the userin subsequent sessions. The authentication data may include afingerprint, an image of the user, or both. Accordingly, in someembodiments, the obtaining of the authentication data may includereceiving raw fingerprint data from a fingerprint readingcommunicatively coupled to or embedded in the content presentationdevice 102. Further, in some embodiments, the obtaining of theauthentication data may include receiving image data from an imagecapture device (e.g., a camera) communicatively coupled to or embeddedin the content presentation device 102. In some embodiments, theobtaining of the authentication data may include receiving audio datafrom a microphone communicatively coupled to or embedded in the contentpresentation device 102.

At operation 315, the content presentation device 102 creates a userprofile record in the user database 210. The user profile recordcomprises a user profile identifier and user profile data. The userprofile data comprises the user personal data and the userauthentication data (e.g., fingerprint data, image data, audio data,etc.). The user profile record may be stored with multiple other userprofile records in the user database 210.

At operation 320, the content presentation device 102 transmits the userprofile record to the server 110, and at operation 325, the user profilerecord is received by the server 110. At operation 330, the server 110stores the user profile record with a linkage to an account record and acorresponding registered content presentation device 102. For example,FIG. 4 is a high-level entity-relationship diagram, illustrating variousrecords that may be maintained within the database 112, according tosome example embodiments.

An account record 400 contains a record of an account with the contentprovider system 106 that, for example, provides the programming to thecontent presentation device 102, the companion presentation device 104,and other such devices. The account record 400 includes an accountidentifier along with service data that includes information related tothe services (e.g., programming) available to (e.g., by virtue of asubscription thereto) to users associated with the account.

As shown, the account record 400 is linked to device records 401-404 soas to maintain an association of multiple content viewing devicesregistered with an account. Each of device records 401-404 correspondsto a content viewing device (e.g., content presentation device 102 orcompanion presentation device 104) registered with the accountcorresponding to the account record 400. Accordingly, each device record401-404 includes an identifier of the device along with otherinformation about the device.

As shown, each device record 401-404 is linked to one or more userprofile records so as to maintain an association between devices anduser profiles. For example, device record 401 is linked to user profilerecords 405-407, device record 402 is linked to user profile record 406,device record 403 is linked to user profile record 405, and devicerecord 404 is linked to user profile records 405 and 406. Thus, becauseusers may utilize multiple different content viewing devices, userprofile records may be linked to multiple device records. Further,because each of the device records 401-404 are linked to the accountrecord 400, the linkage of the device records 401-404 to the userprofile records 405-407 also serves to maintain a linkage between theuser profile records 405-407 and the account record 400. Each userprofile record 405-407 may further include or be linked to recentservice data that includes services recently utilized during a viewingsession of the user profile (e.g., recently watched channels).

FIG. 5 is a data flow diagram illustrating a flow of data involved indisplaying a recent channel interface associated with a particular userprofile, according to some example embodiments. As shown, the flow ofdata begins with the content presentation device 102 receiving useridentification data 500 as input. The identification data 500 may, forexample, include login credentials (e.g., user name and/or password),fingerprint data, audio data, or image data depending on the form ofauthentication data used in establishing the user profile. In instancesin which the authentication data includes fingerprint data, theidentification data 500 is received via a fingerprint readercommunicatively coupled to or embedded in the content presentationdevice 102. In instances in which the authentication data includes imagedata, the user identification data 500 is received via an image capturedevice communicatively coupled to or embedded in the contentpresentation device 102. In instances in which the authentication dataincludes audio data, the identification data 500 is received via amicrophone communicatively coupled to or embedded in the contentpresentation device 102.

Once the identification data 500 is obtained by the content presentationdevice 102, the content presentation device 102 processes theidentification data 500 to identify a corresponding user profile. Morespecifically, the content presentation device 102 compares theidentification data 500 with authentication data stored in one or moreuser profile records stored in the user database 210 to identify amatch. For example, in instances in which the authentication data andidentification data 500 include fingerprint data, the contentpresentation device 102 compares received fingerprint data with storedfingerprint data associated with one or more user profile records toidentify a matching user profile. As another example, in instances inwhich the authentication data and the identification data 500 includesan image, the content presentation device 102 compares a received imagewith stored images associated with one or more user profile records toidentify a matching user profile. Once the content presentation device102 identifies matching authentication data, the content presentationdevice 102 loads the corresponding user profile.

Once the corresponding user profile is identified, the contentpresentation device 102 transmits an identifier of the user profile tothe server 110 to obtain access the content provided by the contentprovider system 106. It shall be appreciated that, in some embodiments,the identification data 500 is transmitted directly from the contentpresentation device 102 to the server 110 for authentication processingat the server 110. In these embodiments, once the server 110 identifiesthe user profile, the server 110 transmits the user profile data to thecontent presentation device 102 so that the content presentation device102 may load the user profile.

Once the user profile is loaded on the content presentation device 102,the content presentation device 102 retrieves recent service data fromthe server 110. The recent service data includes identifiers of recentlywatched channels of the user profile. The identifiers of the recentlywatched channels are then displayed in a recently watched channelsinterface displayed in conjunction with other live or recordedprogramming.

FIG. 6 is a data flow diagram illustrating a flow of data involved indisplaying an updated recent channel interface associated with aparticular user profile, according to some example embodiments. The flowof data illustrated in FIG. 6 occurs once a user profile has beenloaded, but may occur at any point during a viewing session. As shown,the flow of data begins with the content presentation device 102receiving a channel change command 600 from the controller 122. Thechannel change command 600 causes the content presentation device 102 tobe tuned to a new channel which, in this example, causes the contentpresentation device 102 to be tuned to channel 101. Once the contentpresentation device 102 determines the new channel has been tuned intofor a predetermined amount of time (e.g., 5 minutes), the contentpresentation device 102 transmits an identifier of the channel (e.g.,the channel number) to the server 110 for inclusion in the recentservice data. Upon receiving the identifier of the new channel from thecontent presentation device 102, the server 110 updates the recentservice data by adding the identifier of the channel, and then transmitsthe updated recent service data back to the content presentation device102. The content presentation device 102 may display an updated list ofrecently watched channels (e.g., updated to add, delete, replace, ormodify a channel identifier) in the recent channel interface in responseto applicable user input (e.g., user selection of the recent channelinterface).

FIG. 7 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a method 700 for presentinga recent channel interface, according to some example embodiments. Themethod 700 may be embodied in machine-readable instructions forexecution by a hardware component (e.g., a processor) such that theoperations of the method 700 may be performed by the contentpresentation device 102. In particular, the operations of the method 700may be performed in part or in whole by the functional components of thecontent presentation device 102; accordingly, the method 700 isdescribed below, by way of example with reference thereto. However, itshall be appreciated that the method 700 may be deployed on variousother hardware configurations and is not intended to be limited to thecontent presentation device 102. For example, in other embodiments, themethod 700 may be executed by the companion presentation device 104.

At operation 705, the identification module 206 receives identificationdata. The identification data includes biometric data such as an imagedata including an image of the user or fingerprint data including afingerprint of the user. Depending on the form of the identificationdata, the identification module 206 may receive the identification datafrom an input device such as an image capture device (e.g., a camera), amicrophone, retinal scanner, or fingerprint reader communicativelycoupled to or included in the content presentation device 102.

At operation 710, the identification module 206 identifies a userprofile based on received identification data. The user profile may beidentified from a plurality of user profiles registered with the contentpresentation device 102. The identifying of the user profile includescomparing the received identification data to stored authenticationdata. Further details of the operation 710 are discussed below inreference to FIG. 8 . At operation 715, the identification module 206loads the identified user profile.

At operation 720, the communication module 204 transmits a login requestfor the user profile to the server 110. The login request is to loginwith the user profile at the server 110 to initiate a viewing sessionwith the user profile on the content presentation device 102. The loginrequest includes an identifier of the user profile along with anidentification of the successful authentication of the user profile.

At operation 725, the communication module 204 receives, from the server110, recent service data associated with the user profile. The recentserver data includes identifiers of a set of recently watched channelsfor the user profile. The recently watched channels include channelsaccessed during a previous viewing session of the user profile for athreshold period of time. Further details regarding the inclusion of achannel in the set of recently watched channels are discussed below inreference to FIG. 9 , according to some example embodiments.

At operation 730, the interface module 202 presents a recent channelsinterface on the content presentation device 102. The recent channelsinterface includes graphical display elements for each of the recentlywatched channels, each of which may selected (e.g., via appropriate userinput entered using the controller 122) to tune the content presentationdevice 102 to the corresponding channel.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a method 800 for identifyinga user profile, according to some example embodiments. The method 800may be embodied in machine-readable instructions for execution by ahardware component (e.g., a processor) such that the operations of themethod 800 may be performed by the content presentation device 102. Inparticular, the operations of the method 800 may be performed in part orin whole by the functional components of the content presentation device102; accordingly, the method 800 is described below, by way of examplewith reference thereto. However, it shall be appreciated that the method800 may be deployed on various other hardware configurations and is notintended to be limited to the content presentation device 102. Forexample, in other embodiments, the method 800 may be executed by theserver 110 or the companion presentation device 104.

At operation 805, the identification module 206 compares the receivedidentification data to authentication data stored in one or more userprofile records stored in the user database 210 to identify a matchinguser profile record. As an example, the identification module 206 maycompare a received image of a user to stored images of a plurality ofusers with registered user profiles on the content presentation device102 (e.g., users having a corresponding user profile record). In someembodiments, the comparing of the images may include performing facialrecognition techniques on the received and stored images to identify amatching user profile record. In some embodiments, the comparing of theimages may include performing iris recognition techniques on thereceived and stored images to identify a matching user profile record.

As another example, the identification module 206 may compare receivedfingerprint data (e.g., received from a fingerprint readercommunicatively coupled to or embedded in the content presentationdevice 102) with stored fingerprint data of a plurality of users withregistered user profiles on the content presentation device 102 (e.g.,users having a corresponding user profile record). In comparing thereceived fingerprint data to the stored fingerprint data, theidentification module 206 employs known fingerprint identification andmatching techniques to identify a matching user profile record.

At operation 810, the identification module 206 determines if theidentification data is valid based on whether a matching user profilerecord is identified during operation 805. If the identification module206 identifies a matching user profile record then the identificationdata is determined to be valid, and the method 800 proceeds to operation815 where the identification module 206 determines an identifier of theuser profile associated with the matching user profile record.

If the identification module 206 does not identify a matching userprofile record then the identification data is determined to be invalid,and the method 800 proceeds to operation 820 wherein the communicationmodule 204 reports an unknown user to the server 110. At operation 825,the interface module 202 displays a prompt on the content presentationdevice 102 for the unknown user to create a user profile. In someembodiments, the method 300 may commence subsequent to the operation825.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a method for updating recentservice data, according to some example embodiments. The method 900 maybe embodied in machine-readable instructions for execution by a hardwarecomponent (e.g., a processor) such that the operations of the method 900may be performed by the content presentation device 102. In particular,the operations of the method 900 may be performed in part or in whole bythe functional components of the content presentation device 102;accordingly, the method 900 is described below, by way of example withreference thereto. However, it shall be appreciated that the method 700may be deployed on various other hardware configurations and is notintended to be limited to the content presentation device 102.

At operation 905, the detection module 208 identifies a current channelbeing accessed by the content presentation device 102 (e.g., the channelto which the content presentation device 102 is tuned) during a contentviewing session associated with a currently logged-in user profile. Theidentifying of the current channel includes determining an identifier ofthe current channel (e.g., a channel number).

At operation 910, the detection module 208 determines that the contentpresentation device 102 has continued to access (e.g., has remainedtuned to) the current channel for a threshold time period (e.g., 5minutes). The threshold time period may be a pre-established value, ormay be set based on user preferences.

In response to determining the content presentation device 102 hasremained tuned to the current channel for the threshold time period, thedetection module 208, at operation 915, saves the current channel as arecently watched channel. More specifically, in saving the currentchannel, the detection module 208 causes the recent service data to beupdated with an identifier of the current channel. To add the channel,the detection module 208 works in conjunction with the communicationmodule 204 to transmit an identifier of the current channel to theserver 110 where the identifier is used to update recent service datastored in the database 112.

FIG. 10 is an interface diagram illustrating a recent channel interface1000 associated with a first user profile, according to some exampleembodiments. As shown, the recent channel interface 1000 is presented onthe content presentation device 102. The recent channel interface 1000is presented on the content presentation device 102 in conjunction withlive programming 1002. More specifically, as illustrated, the recentchannel interface 1000 includes a banner displayed above the liveprogramming 1002. The recent channel interface 1000 may be displayed(e.g., in response to user selection) once the content presentationdevice 102 identifies and authenticates the first user profile using,for example, biometric data.

The recent channel interface 1000 includes selectable elements1004-1008, each of which includes an identifier (e.g., a channel number,service name, or service identifier) of a recently watched channel(e.g., a channel watched during a previous viewing session for athreshold period of time) associated with the first user profile. A usermay select (e.g., through appropriate input entered using the controller122) any one of the selectable elements 1004-1008 to cause the contentpresentation device 102 to be tuned to the channel corresponding to theselectable element. In some embodiments, the selectable elements1004-1008 may include a thumbnail image associated with the channel suchas a logo or content related to the programming provided by the channel.

FIG. 11 is an interface diagram illustrating a recent channel interface1100 associated with a second user, according to some exampleembodiments. As shown, the recent channel interface 1100 is displayed ina similar fashion to the recent channel interface 1000—the recentchannel interface 1100 is displayed on the content presentation device102 in conjunction with live programming 1102. Likewise, the recentchannel interface 1100 includes similar elements to that of recentchannel interface 1000—the recent channel interface 1100 includesselectable elements 1104-1108 that correspond to recently watchedchannels and may be used to tune the content presentation device 102 torespective recently watched channels. However, the particular channelsthat correspond to the selectable elements 1104-1108 are insteadassociated with a second user profile, and are, therefore, a differentset of channels than those included in the recent watched channelinterface 1000. Accordingly, the recent channel interface 1100 may bedisplayed (e.g., in response to user selection) once the contentpresentation device 102 identifies and authenticates the second userprofile using, for example, biometric data. The second user profile maybe identified and authenticated as long as no other user profiles arealready logged in (e.g., the first user profile has been logged off).

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 1200,according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from amachine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) andperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.Specifically, FIG. 12 shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine1200 in the example form of a system, within which instructions 1202(e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, a driver,or other executable code) for causing the machine 1200 to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. Forexample, the instructions 1202 include executable code that causes themachine 1200 to execute the methods 300, 700, 800, and 900. In this way,these instructions transform the general, non-programmed machine into aparticular machine programmed to carry out the described and illustratedfunctions of the content presentation device 102 in the manner describedherein. The machine 1200 may operate as a standalone device or may becoupled (e.g., networked) to other machines.

By way of non-limiting example, the machine 1200 may comprise orcorrespond to a television, a computer (e.g., a server computer, aclient computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptopcomputer, or a netbook), a set-top box (STB), a personal digitalassistant (PDA), an entertainment media system (e.g., an audio/videoreceiver), a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, awearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a portable media player, or anymachine capable of outputting audio signals and capable of executing theinstructions 1202, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to betaken by machine 1200. Further, while only a single machine 1200 isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include acollection of machines 1200 that individually or jointly execute theinstructions 1202 to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

The machine 1200 may include processors 1204, memory 1206, storage unit1208 and I/O components 1210, which may be configured to communicatewith each other such as via a bus 1212. In an example embodiment, theprocessors 1204 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reducedinstruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction setcomputing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digitalsignal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor,or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor1214 and processor 1216 that may execute instructions 1202. The term“processor” is intended to include multi-core processors that maycomprise two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as“cores”) that may execute instructions contemporaneously. Although FIG.12 shows multiple processors, the machine 1200 may include a singleprocessor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores(e.g., a multi-core process), multiple processors with a single core,multiple processors with multiples cores, or any combination thereof

The memory 1206 (e.g., a main memory or other memory storage) and thestorage unit 1208 are both accessible to the processors 1204 such as viathe bus 1212. The memory 1206 and the storage unit 1208 store theinstructions 1202 embodying any one or more of the methodologies orfunctions described herein. In some embodiments, the user database 210resides on the storage unit 1208. The instructions 1202 may also reside,completely or partially, within the memory 1206, within the storage unit1208, within at least one of the processors 1204 (e.g., within theprocessor's cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof, duringexecution thereof by the machine 1200. Accordingly, the memory 1206, thestorage unit 1208, and the memory of processors 1204 are examples ofmachine-readable media.

As used herein, “machine-readable medium” means a device able to storeinstructions and data temporarily or permanently and may include, but isnot be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),buffer memory, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media, cachememory, other types of storage (e.g., erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EEPROM)) and/or any suitable combination thereof. The term“machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium ormultiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, orassociated caches and servers) able to store instructions 1202. The term“machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium, orcombination of multiple media, that is capable of storing instructions(e.g., instructions 1202) for execution by a machine (e.g., machine1200), such that the instructions, when executed by one or moreprocessors of the machine 1200 (e.g., processors 1204), cause themachine 1200 to perform any one or more of the methodologies describedherein (e.g., method 300, 700, 800 and 900). Accordingly, a“machine-readable medium” refers to a single storage apparatus ordevice, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems or storage networksthat include multiple storage apparatus or devices. The term“machine-readable medium” excludes signals per se.

Furthermore, the “machine-readable medium” is non-transitory in that itdoes not embody a propagating signal. However, labeling the tangiblemachine-readable medium as “non-transitory” should not be construed tomean that the medium is incapable of movement—the medium should beconsidered as being transportable from one real-world location toanother. Additionally, since the machine-readable medium is tangible,the medium may be considered to be a machine-readable device.

The I/O components 1210 may include a wide variety of components toreceive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information,exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/Ocomponents 1200 that are included in a particular machine will depend onthe type of machine. For example, portable machines such as mobilephones will likely include a touch input device or other such inputmechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely not include sucha touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components1210 may include many other components that are not specifically shownin FIG. 12 . The I/O components 1210 are grouped according tofunctionality merely for simplifying the following discussion and thegrouping is in no way limiting. In various example embodiments, the I/Ocomponents 1210 may include input components 1218 and output components1220. The input components 1218 may include alphanumeric inputcomponents (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receivealphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumericinput components), point based input components (e.g., a mouse, atouchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointinginstrument), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touchscreen that provides location and/or force of touches or touch gestures,or other tactile input components), audio input components, and thelike. The output components 1220 may include visual components (e.g., adisplay such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode(LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathoderay tube (CRT)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components(e.g., a vibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signalgenerators, and so forth.

Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies.The I/O components 1210 may include communication components 1222operable to couple the machine 1200 to a network 1224 or devices 1226via coupling 1228 and coupling 1230 respectively. For example, thecommunication components 1222 may include a network interface componentor other suitable device to interface with the network 1224. In furtherexamples, communication components 1222 may include wired communicationcomponents, wireless communication components, cellular communicationcomponents, near field communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth®components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and othercommunication components to provide communication via other modalities.The devices 1226 may be another machine or any of a wide variety ofperipheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a UniversalSerial Bus (USB) or the content presentation device controller 122).

Modules, Components and Logic

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium or ina transmission signal) or hardware modules. A hardware module is atangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may beconfigured or arranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, oneor more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client, or server computersystem) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., aprocessor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g.,an application or application portion) as a hardware module thatoperates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field-programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner and/or toperform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments inwhich hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed),each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware modulescomprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware modules at different times. Software may accordingly configurea processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module atone instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at adifferent instance of time.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multipleof such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses that connect the hardware modules). In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. Forexample, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of amethod may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented modules. The performance of certain of theoperations may be distributed among the one or more processors, not onlyresiding within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment, or a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of theoperations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), with these operations being accessiblevia a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriateinterfaces (e.g., APIs).

Electronic Apparatus and System

Example embodiments may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer hardware, firmware, or software, or in combinations ofthem. Example embodiments may be implemented using a computer programproduct, for example, a computer program tangibly embodied in aninformation carrier, for example, in a machine-readable medium forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus,for example, a programmable processor, a computer, or multiplecomputers.

A computer program can be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed inany form, including as a standalone program or as a module, subroutine,or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiplecomputers at one site, or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

In example embodiments, operations may be performed by one or moreprogrammable processors executing a computer program to performfunctions by operating on input data and generating output. Methodoperations can also be performed by, and apparatus of exampleembodiments may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry(e.g., an FPGA or an ASIC).

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. Inembodiments deploying a programmable computing system, it will beappreciated that both hardware and software architectures meritconsideration. Specifically, it will be appreciated that the choice ofwhether to implement certain functionality in permanently configuredhardware (e.g., an ASIC), in temporarily configured hardware (e.g., acombination of software and a programmable processor), or in acombination of permanently and temporarily configured hardware may be adesign choice. Below are set out hardware (e.g., machine) and softwarearchitectures that may be deployed, in various example embodiments.

Language

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been describedwith reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident thatvarious modifications and changes may be made to these embodimentswithout departing from the broader scope of the inventive subjectmatter. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regardedin an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The accompanyingdrawings that form a part hereof show by way of illustration, and not oflimitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may bepracticed. The embodiments illustrated are described in sufficientdetail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachingsdisclosed herein. Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom,such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be madewithout departing from the scope of this disclosure. This DetailedDescription, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and thescope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims,along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims areentitled.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent, to those of skill inthe art, upon reviewing the above description.

All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in thisdocument are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, asthough individually incorporated by reference. In the event ofinconsistent usages between this document and those documents soincorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated referencesshould be considered supplementary to that of this document; forirreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.

In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patentdocuments, to include one or more than one, independent of any otherinstances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In thisdocument, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that“A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unlessotherwise indicated. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and“in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respectiveterms “comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, theterms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended; that is, a system,device, article, or process that includes elements in addition to thoselisted after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within thescope of that claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: providing, to a firstdevice, service data that corresponds to a user profile registered withboth the first device and a second device, the service data including afirst identifier of a first content source accessed via the user profileregistered with the first and second devices; receiving, from the seconddevice with which the user profile is registered, a second identifier ofa second content source accessed by the second device for at least athreshold time; updating, by one or more processors, the service data toinclude the second identifier of the second content source based on thesecond content source being accessed for at least the threshold time bythe second device with which the user profile is registered; andsending, to the first device with which the user profile is registered,the updated service data including the first identifier of the firstcontent source and the second identifier of the second content sourceaccessed for at least the threshold time by the second device with whichthe user profile is registered.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: basedon the updated service data sent to the first device, the first deviceupdates an interactive interface that includes selectable elementscorresponding to the first and second content sources accessed via theuser profile.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving,by the second device with which the user profile is registered, achannel change command; and determining, in response to the receivedchannel change command, that the second device accessed the secondcontent source for at least the threshold time.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein: the user profile is among a plurality of user profilesregistered with the first device and registered with the second device.5. The method of claim 1, wherein: the user profile is a first userprofile; the service data is first service data; and the method furthercomprises: sending, to the first device, second service data thatcorresponds to a second user profile registered with the first device,the second service data including a third identifier of a third contentsource accessed via the second user profile registered with the firstdevice.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: detecting arequest to login with the second user profile at the first device; andwherein: the sending, to the first device, of the second service datathat corresponds to the second user profile is responsive to thedetected request to login with the second user profile at the firstdevice.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein: the updated service dataincludes a third identifier of a third content source accessed by thesecond device with which the user profile is registered.
 8. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: detecting a request to login with theuser profile at the first device; and wherein: the sending, to the firstdevice, of the updated service data that corresponds to the user profileis responsive to the detected request to login with the user profile atthe first device.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving identification data from the first device; comparing theidentification data with authentication data that corresponds to aplurality of user profiles that include the user profile; andidentifying the user profile among the plurality of user profiles basedon the identification data matching authentication data that correspondsto the user profile.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving identification data from the first device; comparing theidentification data with authentication data that corresponds to aplurality of user profiles that include the user profile; determiningthat the identification data is invalid based on the comparing; andcausing the first device to present a prompt to create a new userprofile.
 11. A system comprising: one or more processors; and a memorystoring instructions that, when executed by at least one processor amongthe one or more processors, cause the system to perform operationscomprising: providing, to a first device, service data that correspondsto a user profile registered with both the first device and a seconddevice, the service data including a first identifier of a first contentsource accessed via the user profile registered with the first andsecond devices; receiving, from the second device with which the userprofile is registered, a second identifier of a second content sourceaccessed by the second device for at least a threshold time; updating,by one or more processors, the service data to include the secondidentifier of the second content source based on the second contentsource being accessed for at least the threshold time by the seconddevice with which the user profile is registered; and sending, to thefirst device with which the user profile is registered, the updatedservice data including the first identifier of the first content sourceand the second identifier of the second content source accessed for atleast the threshold time by the second device with which the userprofile is registered.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein: based on theupdated service data sent to the first device, the first device updatesan interactive interface that includes selectable elements correspondingto the first and second content sources accessed via the user profile.13. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:receiving, by the second device with which the user profile isregistered, a channel change command; and determining, in response tothe received channel change command, that the second device accessed thesecond content source for at least the threshold time.
 14. The system ofclaim 11, wherein: the user profile is a first user profile; the servicedata is first service data; and the operations further comprise:sending, to the first device, second service data that corresponds to asecond user profile registered with the first device, the second servicedata including a third identifier of a third content source accessed viathe second user profile registered with the first device.
 15. The systemof claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise: detecting arequest to login with the second user profile at the first device; andwherein: the sending, to the first device, of the second service datathat corresponds to the second user profile is responsive to thedetected request to login with the second user profile at the firstdevice.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein: the updated service dataincludes a third identifier of a third content source accessed by thesecond device with which the user profile is registered.
 17. The systemof claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise: detecting arequest to login with the user profile at the first device; and wherein:the sending, to the first device, of the updated service data thatcorresponds to the user profile is responsive to the detected request tologin with the user profile at the first device.
 18. A non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, whenexecuted by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine toperform operations comprising: providing, to a first device, servicedata that corresponds to a user profile registered with both the firstdevice and a second device, the service data including a firstidentifier of a first content source accessed via the user profileregistered with the first and second devices; receiving, from the seconddevice with which the user profile is registered, a second identifier ofa second content source accessed by the second device for at least athreshold time; updating, by one or more processors, the service data toinclude the second identifier of the second content source based on thesecond content source being accessed for at least the threshold time bythe second device with which the user profile is registered; andsending, to the first device with which the user profile is registered,the updated service data including the first identifier of the firstcontent source and the second identifier of the second content sourceaccessed for at least the threshold time by the second device with whichthe user profile is registered.
 19. The non-transitory machine-readablestorage medium of claim 18, wherein: based on the updated service datasent to the first device, the first device updates an interactiveinterface that includes selectable elements corresponding to the firstand second content sources accessed via the user profile.
 20. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein theoperations further comprise: receiving, by the second device with whichthe user profile is registered, a channel change command; anddetermining, in response to the received channel change command, thatthe second device accessed the second content source for at least thethreshold time.